a lifestyle blog

My super late August subscription box master post, kind of

First of all, I’d like to apologize for not being a photographer … at all. Most of these box photos were taken in the shade or at night and I’ve tried to manipulate them to make the labels somewhat legible. Frankly, I can’t believe I subscribed to EIGHT subscription boxes last month, excluding food boxes (like Home Chef and HelloFresh) and clothing boxes (like Le Tote). So without further ado, I present ….. My August Boxes.

BeautyDNA is a unique subscription for me in that it costs $25 per month to receive only one product (or try your first month for $15 by using that link!). However, the products are always full-size and are always worth more than the cost of the box. There is an incredibly detailed personalization quiz to define your beauty profile & skincare concerns. This month I receive the SimySkin Micro Exfoliating Toner (RV $40) and I have absolutely loved it. I use it every night before bed and am working up to using it morning and night (you have to ease into it because it’s 10% glycolic acid!). Check out the note they send explaining why they send each product:

I also want to mention that the first product I ever received from them (a daily facial moisturizer) broke me out. I emailed to cancel and also let customer service know the issue – I loved the idea and the surprise every month, but wasn’t willing to gamble $25 on one product that may be a complete miss. Not only did they cancel without asking any questions, they also sent me a completely new product (a vitamin-c serum) free of charge and an apology that their algorithm didn’t work the first time around. I was so impressed that I resubscribed, and I really enjoy the little surprise treat every month.

Benevolent Beauty Box was one of the first subscription boxes I ever signed up for. I bought a six month plan during their Mother’s Day Sale, so each box averages to about $15. The VIP boxes are $30 a month (this is what I have now) and include 4-7 full-size cruelty-free beauty products. The monthly mini boxes contain 2-3 full-size cruelty-free beauty products for $15-ish a month. Benevolent Beauty donates $1 per box sold to Humane Society International to help the fight against animal testing & cruelty.

Admittedly, I ended up gifting away almost the entire box this month. That’s because I’m on full-sized product overload, though, not due to lack of quality or value. This month’s box contained:

Bellapierre Vanilla Bean Lip Balm (RV $10) I’ve had good luck with Bellapierre, but own too many lip balms as it is, so anything that’s packaged in a pot or tub rather than a stick or tube is getting gifted away.

Nvey Eco Eyeshadow in Rose Quartz (RV $18) You could receive either Rose Quartz, Mahogany, or Mystique, and while I probably would’ve preferred either of those shades, I KEPT THIS! Lol. This was the one item I kept from this month’s box.

While August’s Benevolent Beauty Box was clearly not a hit for me personally, I still think the variety of product’s was great and that the items I can’t keep will make wonderful gifts. The lip stain is one of my go-to lip products, so there’s still a chance I’ll keep it for myself as a backup.

This was my last, probably ever, Birchbox. I cancel and resubscribe to plenty of boxes as my mood or budget or needs change each month, but I would say that Birchbox is one that is truly unimpressive. What does it have going for it? Well, it’s classic & it’s cheap. For $10 a month you get samples of makeup, skincare, and hair products. What does it have going against it? Sample sizes are tiny, they’ve eliminated the wonderful points system that made each box essentially $5, and the CEO has released multiple statements about how boring the subscription box industry is. I’ve cancelled my subscription and haven’t looked back. Here’s what my parting box contained:

MannaKadar Fantasy 3-in-1 Blush Highlighter Eyeshadow (RV $19?) I’m not sure about the retail value of this. The packaging is different than the one on the MannaKadar site, but it seems like it could be full-sized. As you can see, mine arrived completely shattered. I repaired it with rubbing alcohol, but it shattered again the next day. To their credit, Birchbox sent me a replacement. I love the color as a blush and eyeshadow, but have to be so, so careful because it wants to break.

Oribe Après Beach Wave and Shine Spray (RV $4.60) I love Oribe and am happy to try anything they put out. Though beachy wave sprays never work for me, this one’s added shine was nice & it didn’t make my hair feel filthy.

Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil (RV $2.40) This sample size was a joke. The shade was too warm for me but honestly I wouldn’t have cared about that if it had been easy to hold or use in any way. The pencil was too light and small and the amount of product made me nervous that it would only cover one eyebrow. I’ve never received a smaller sample of something in my life.

I also cashed in all of my points and used my birthday gift ($10 off any purchase of $50+) to really say “Adios!” to BB. I “purchased” (for free though, because of my points & discount) a new S’well bottle & clear Anastasia brow gel. I used the free mystery sample gift (with any $35+ purchase) and they sent me a teeny tiny Paula’s Choice Vitamin C Skin Booster sample. I’ve mixed it with my night cream & I like it, but I won’t get more than 3 uses out of it. My other free “sample” was a full-sized Mirenesse mascara. It has awful reviews, but I’m more than willing to try a new mascara for free. Also, you can see the replacement MannaKadar eyeshadow Birchbox sent me, which was unbroken. 🙂

Essence Beauty Box

The next box is Essence Beauty Box which, for the measly two months I subscribed to it, was wonderful. Essence Beauty Box was created and curated by Essence magazine for women of color, but it ended up being my favorite for beauty staples (like shaving gel and makeup remover) with a splash of fun beauty products. Unfortunately, Essence is discontinuing their beauty box, and the last box will be September’s.

Nudestix Lip & Cheek Dual Pencil in Mystic/Whisper (RV $24) Love the nude shades and the formula. I’ve used them as lipstick and cream blush & prefer them as lipstick.

Skin & Co Hand Cream in Umbrian Truffle and Citrus Amaro (RV $7.92) Haven’t opened these yet but I’m really looking forward to having them as the weather gets cooler.

SweetSpot On the Go Wipettes (RV $1.28) I LOVED THESE. Their ph-balanced feminine wipes which sounds so… not fun, but I keep them in my gym bag to use as an all-over wipe if I have to head straight to the office after a mild workout. Each scent was awesome and I definitely want to keep buying them.

Glossybox markets themselves as a luxury beauty box for $21 a month. They send 5 niche, high-end, or emerging brands in the form of deluxe samples or full-sized products. I received a buy one, get two free promotion so I haven’t come close to trying all of these products yet. I will list them out, but really can’t give item by item reviews yet.

This was my official August Glossybox. I think it had a decent variety of products that I wouldn’t normally get to try, so I’m satisfied – the two bonus boxes are a heck of an add-on, though! I received:

De Bruyere After Sun Lotion (RV $12.36) I gave this to my mom to try, but now I wish I hadn’t. I want something pretty & French sitting on my bathroom shelf, lol.

If you want to try Glossybox out, click that link and use code SUNSET at checkout to receive a free mystery box along with your first box! Here are my two bonus boxes, the first from May 2016 and the second from December 2015.

Ipsy really runs the gamut with its offerings, from drugstore to high-end and everything in between. It’s customizable, and every month your selections will (arguably) become more & more accurate as you review the products & brands you like vs. dislike. In August I received an extra item, the Pixi Glow Tonic, as a points reward. I also received:

Nyx Liquid Illuminator in Gleam (RV $6.53) I contacted CS about the shade, as it was too dark for my skintone, and they sent me the appropriate shade in Sunbeam. While you can’t complain to CS about simply disliking a product to try, if something is blatantly wrong for your skintone or if something is broken or missing, they are extremely quick to remedy the situation.

Look at this cutesy packaging! Sephora Play can be frustrating because there’s a waitlist with no real end. I was on it for months and never received notification that the sign ups were open, but I heard on Reddit that people were able to sign up and gave it a whirl — it worked! You kind of just have to hope for the best and hurry to try to sign up when you hear that it’s open again. August’s focus was all about eyes.

So, that’s it! Those are all of the regularly scheduled beauty boxes. I have others, like FabFitFun (which is seasonal) and Julep (which may well be my favorite box of all, but I happened to skip August), and I’ll be sure to post whenever they arrive. But I hope this covers everything you could possibly hope to know about my August boxes.

I am trying out using affiliate links, which means that I may earn a tiny commission if you click on a link or make a purchase through a link posted here - thanks Mom! As usual, I will never, ever praise a product I don't actually believe in.